Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans by Don Brown

 

Drowned City:  Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans

Bibliography

Brown, Don.  (2015). Drowned City:  Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  ISBN 9780544157774

Plot Summary

This graphic novel tells the tragic story of how Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005.  It shows how the city was unprepared for a disaster of this caliber and that the levees that failed were supposed to be able to withstand the amount of water that the storm surge brought.  Brown illustrates the toxic flood waters, the crowds at the Superdome and convention center, the heroic efforts of rescuers, and the desperation of the survivors who are trying to stay alive in filthy, hot living conditions with no food or water. 

Critical Analysis

Brown does an amazing job of portraying the tragedy of Katrina in his illustrations.  The dark colors evoke sadness and chaos, and he shows death without being graphic or grotesque.  As one who witnessed the events following Hurricane Katrina as an adult, the images Brown draws are reminiscent if not identical to the images shown on the news. Brown does take sides, pointing out the mistakes that city government made when preparing for evacuations as well as the slow response by government officials.  He also provides an extensive bibliography to back up the story laid out on the pages, the story of a true tragedy.

Awards & Review Excerpts

2016 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor

2016 Orbis Pictus Award Winner

Horn Book Guide Starred 4/1/2016

"A powerful comic-book format delivers the full force of Hurricane Katrina and its impact on New Orleans. When the storm hits, Brown hits readers with the consequences: flooding, fear, frustration, desperation, and death. Meticulously documented facts and quotes from victims caption the commanding art. If a book's power were measured like a storm's, this would be a category five."

School Library Journal, Starred 8/1/2015 by Amanda McGregor

"This astonishingly powerful look at one of America's worst disasters is a masterful blend of story and art and a required purchase for all libraries."

Connections

Readers may also enjoy Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, ISBN 9781934781630, the true story about a Syrian-born resident of New Orleans who survived Hurricane Katrina, or Groove Interrupted: Loss, Renewal, and the Music of New Orleans by Keith Spera, ISBN 9780312552251, which looks at Hurricane Katrina's impact on New Orleans' music community.